Surgeons have limited space with which to operate during minimally invasive surgery. In an effort to create more space, devices and techniques have been developed for the retraction and manipulation of organs and tissue adjacent to the surgical site. Current approaches include mechanical manipulation of the tissue, typically using clamps, paddles, graspers, and the like. However, organs and tissue can be damaged with these techniques by application of excessive force in the course of manipulation. In addition, mechanical instruments take up needed space at the surgical site and at the site of entry into the patient—often, an entire trocar is dedicated to retracting an organ in a laparoscopic procedure.
In order to avoid the difficulties presented by mechanical manipulation of organs and tissue, an iron-filling liquid may be injected into an organ and thereafter retracted magnetically. However, since the iron-filling material is generally considered non-biocompatible, simply injecting the material into desired organs is generally not clinically practical. Furthermore, making holes through organs by way of injection, especially those that secrete fluids such as the gall bladder, increases the risk of fluid leakage following the procedure.
Accordingly, what is needed are medical devices and methods where organs and tissue can be retracted without dependence on mechanical retraction instruments; where retraction can be achieved without dependence on T-anchors, sutures, and the like; where the endoscope is not dedicated to maintaining the retraction; where no magnetic fluid is in contact with the patient's body; and where the retraction is with a strong force, but is easily reversible.